Vacuum cleaner head



Sept. 20, 1966 A. D. WILLIAMS VACUUM CLEANER HEAD Filed Jan. 14, 1965 VHCl/l/M H055 v BY MUNZ S fl ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 3,273,187 Patented Sept. 20, 1966 3,273,187 VACUUM CLEANER HEAD Adonis D. Williams, 1009 Krumroy Road, Akron 6, ()hio Filed Jan. 14, 1965, Ser. No. 425,492 Claims. (Cl. --1.7)

This invention relates generally to vacuum cleaner heads for use in removing dirt and accumulated sediment from swimming pools. More particularly, it relates to a vacuum cleaner head for easily and quickly cleaning swimming pools lined with flexible plastic material, said cleaner head being designed so that it will not puncture, tear, or otherwise damage the liner during a cleaning operation.

In recent years, the use of swimming pools constructed with liners of flexible plastic sheet material has become widespread. Occasionally, it becomes necessary to remove dirt and other accumulated sediment from such pools, and vacuum cleaning apparatus has been devised for this purpose. The cleaner head of such apparatus is usually the only component that contacts the pool walls, and should be designed to proivde effective cleaning action. Further, because the sheet liners in swimming pools equipped therewith is relatively easy to damage, a vacuum cleaner head for such use should be constructed to minimize the possibility of damaging the liner during a cleaning operation.

The vacuum cleaner head of the present invention is especially designed for use with swimming pools lined wit-h flexible sheet material, and is constructed in a manner to make possible the rapid cleaning of such pools without causing damage to the relatively fragile liner. Thus, the problem of pool maintenance is eased with the present invention and, in addition, the life of the pool liner is prolonged.

The vacuum cleaner head of the invention includes a generally triangular base plate having rounded corners, a configuration which has been bound to provide the greatest degree of flexibility for reaching into corners and other awkward areas of a pool. A brush is secured about the periphery of the plate, and is arranged so that the bristles thereof project above, below, and outwardly from the plate. This arrangement not only provides a relatively large brushing surface for dislodging dirt and other particles of foreign matter from the walls of a pool, but also provides the important feature of preventing the base plate of the cleaner head from contacting and thus possibly damaging the plastic pool liner. In the cleaner head of the invention, only the bristles of the brush can come into contact with the liner, the unique arrangement of the brush thus preventing the triangular plate from engaging the side wall of the pool. Because of this arrangement, the degree of care required in cleaning a pool is lessened, and, thus, a pool can norm-ally be cleaned in a much shorter period of time than is presently possible.

The under surface of the triangular plate of the cleaner head is provided with a unique groove configuration, which directs the flow of water toward a central bore therein that leads to the vacuum hose. The groove configuration of the invention has been found to make possible the thorough and rapid removal of dirt and other foreign matter from a swimming pool.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner head for swimming pools, designed to provide rapid cleaning and constructed in a manner to prevent damage to the swimming pool therefrom during a cleaning operation.

Another object is to provide a vacuum cleaner head having a brush thereon, the brush being arranged to provide a large brushing area and so that the bristles-thereof act as a buffer to prevent other elements of the cleaner head from contacting the walls of a swimming pool being cleaned.

A further object is to provide a cleaner head having a configuration which enables it to easily reach into the corners and other difiicult areas of a swimming pool.

Still another object is to provide a base plate for a vacuum cleaner head, designed to hold securely in position a brush positioned to extend about the periphery thereof.

It is also an object to provide a vacuum cleaner head for use in cleaning swimming pools which includes a minimum of elements and which is economical to manufacture.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, side elevation view of the vacuum cleaner head;

FIG. 2 is a plan view, partially in section, of the vacuum cleaner head, taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, rear elevational view of the cleaner head of FIG. 1, as viewed from the right, the outline of the brush bristles being shown in phantom line-s for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the base plate of the cleaner head.

Referring now to the drawings, the cleaner head of the invention is shown generally at 2, and is pivotally attached to the lower end of an elongated handle 4. A vacuum hose 6 is attached to the cleaner head 2, and extends to suitable vacuum cleaner apparatus (not shown).

The cleaner head 2 includes a generally triangular base plate 8, which can be constructed from metal, wood, or a suitable substantially rigid plastic. The base plate 8 includes a pair of leading sides 10 and 12, and a third, trailing side 14, the corners 16, 18, and 20 at which said sides 10, 12, and 14 meet being rounded. Each of the rounded corners 16, 18, and 20 has a rounded groove 22 in the peripheral wall thereof, for a purpose to be herelinafter described.

The base plate 8 has a bore 24 extending therethrough adjacent the front corner 16, the upper end of said bore 24 being provided with a counterbore 26. The lower, flanged end 28 of a tube connector stub 30 is received within the counterbore 26, an annular ring 32 being received on the stub 30 and being in engagement with the rear face of the flange 28. The annular ring 32 is secured to the plate 8 by bolts 34 that are threaded into bores 36 provided in said plate, whereby the stub 30 is attached to said plate. The upper end of the stub 30 has a pluarilty of ribs 38 thereon, for securing the end of the vacuum hose 6 received thereover.

Positioned centrally on the plate 8 is 'a pair of ears 40, said ears having aligned bores 42 therethrough for reception of a pivot bolt 44. The pivot bolt 44 has a wing nut 45 threaded thereon, and extends parallel to the third, or trailing side 14 of the plate 8. The ears 40 are disposed symmetrically about a line passing from the center of the trailing plate side 14 through the center of the bore 24. The lower end of a shank 46 is received between the cars 40, and has a transverse bore therethrough for receiving the pivot bolt 44. The elongated handle 4 has the lower end thereof telescoped over the upper end of the shank 46, and is secured thereto by a bolt 48.

Referring now to FIG. 5, wherein the base plate 8 is shown in bottom plan view, the under surface of said plate is provided with a pair of converging grooves or channels 50, which extend inwardly along radial lines from the third, or trailing side 14 of the plate 8 toward the center of the bore 24. Typically, the outer ends 52 of the grooves 50 will be spaced apart a distance equal to about /3 the length of the trailing side 14, and said grooves are disposed symmetrically about a line passing from the center of the trailing side 14 through the center of the bore 24.

A transverse groove 54 extends across the grooves 50 between the bore 24 and the trailing side 14 of the plate 8, said groove 54 extending to the leading sides and 12 and being positioned at about the middle of said plate.

The plate 8 also has a pair of ports 56 extending therethrough, which connect the upper surface of the plate with the under surface thereof. The ports 56 are positioned about half-way between the trailing side 14 and the transverse groove 54, and are spaced apart a distance equal to about twice the distance between the outer ends 52 of the grooves 50. The grooves 50 and 54 are preferably rounded, and typically will be about deep and about wide.

Extending about the periphery of the base plate 8 is a brush 58, said brush 58 including a twisted wire core 60 to which bristles 62 are attached in the usual manner. It is to be understood, of course, that other brush constructions than the twisted Wire core type might be utilized without departing from the teachings of the invention.

The brush 58 extends completely about the two leading sides 10 and 12, and the corners 16, 18, and 20 of the base plate 8, and across the major part of the trailing side 14. The trailing side 14 of the plate 8 has a pair of spaced threaded bores 64 therein, within which are received screws 66. The ends of the brush 58 are provided with loops 68, through which the screws 66 extend, and by which said brush is secured in position about the periphery of the plate 8. It will be noted that the elongated core 60 of the brush 58 is seated within the grooves 22, which grooves thus function to retain the brush 58 properly positioned on the periphery of the plate 8.

The bristles 62 of the brush 58 are of such a length that they extend a substantial distance above, below and outwardly from the base plate 8. Further, the material and the stiffness of the bristles 62 is such that they cannot be easily collapsed, whereby said bristles will at all times provide a buffer effective to hold the plate 8 away from a surface being cleaned. Since the base plate 8 cannot contact the walls of the pool, and since the bristles 62 are the only elements of the cleaner head 2 which do contact the pool walls, it is evident that only minimum care need be taken in the manipulation of the cleaner head to prevent damage to the sheet liner in a swimming pool being cleaned.

In use, the cleaner head 2 is moved about within a swimming pool by the handle 4, with the vacuum hose 6 being connected to suitable vacuum cleaner apparatus. As the bristles 62 of the brush 58 move over the walls of the pool, the large brush area thereof easily removes clinging particles of dirt and other foreign matter from said walls. The water around the cleaner head is moved by the vacuum in the hose 6 through the bristles 62, over the bottom surface of the plate 8, and upwardly through the vacuum hose 6, such moving water carrying the loosened dirt and debris therewith.

The grooves 50 and 54 on the under surface of the base plate 8 are arranged to provide a flow channel and to direct the flow of water from the lea-ding sides 10 and 12, and the trailing side 14 of the base plate 8 into the bore 24. The ports 56 provide a passage for water from the bristles at the top of the plate 8 downwardly through said plate, to the vacuum hose 6. It has been found that the described relationship between the bore 24, the grooves 50 and 54, and the ports 56 provide very eifective cleaning when the invention is used in swimming pools having sheet liners therein.

The generally triangular configuration of the cleaner head 2 makes it possible to easily move it into the corners of a swimming pool, and into any other place which otherwise normally would be difiicult to reach. Further, because the corners of the base plate 8 are rounded, and because of the way the bristles 62 of the brush 58 project, the cleaner head 2 can be moved about quite freely in the comers of a lined pool without fear of causing damage to the liner thereof.

Typically, the sides 10, 12, and 14 of the cleaner head 2 will be about 7 /2 long. The bore 24 will have a diameter of about 1%.", and the center thereof will be disposed about 3%" from the trailing side 14. It has been found that a cleaner head thus dimensioned is ideal for rapidly and safely removing debris from a swimming pool equipped with a flexible plastic sheet liner.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. A vacuum cleaner head for cleaning swimming pools, especially pools lined with sheet plastic or the like, comprising: a generally triangular base plate having a bore therethrough, the undersurface of said plate having a plurality of intersecting grooves there-in, arranged to communicate with the lower end of said bore; means carried by said base plate for connecting a vacuum hose to the upper end of said bore; and a brush secured to said base plate to extend around at least a major portion of the periphery thereof, said brush extending around the corners of said plate, and the bristles of said brush extending downwardly and outwardly from the periphery of said plate a distance sufiicient to provide a large brushing area and to provide a buffer for preventing said plate from striking and damaging the wall surfaces on which said cleaner head is used.

2. A vacuum cleaner head as recited in claim 1, wherein the corners of said triangular base plate are rounded.

3. A vacuum cleaner head as recited in claim 1, including additionally means on the upper surface of said base plate for pivotally attaching the lower end of a handle thereto.

4. A vacuum cleaner head for cleaning swimming pools, especially pools lined with sheet plastic or the like, comprising: a generally triangular base plate having a bore therethrough, the undersurface of said plate having a plurality of intersecting grooves therein, arranged to communicate with said bore; means located on the upper surface of said base plate about said bore for connecting a vacuum hose thereto; and a brush secured to said base plate to extend around a major portion of the periphery thereof, said brush extending around the corners of said plate, and the bristles of said brush extending above, below and outwardly from the periphery of said plate to provide a large brushing area and to provide a buffer for preventing said plate from striking and damaging the Wall surfaces on which said cleaner head is used.

5. A vacuum cleaner head for cleaning swimming pools, especially pools lined with sheet plastic or the like, comprising: a generally triangular base plate having rounded corners, and provided with a bore therethrough; connector means attached to the upper surface of said base plate about said bore for connecting a vacuum hose thereto; and a brush secured. to extend about a major portion of the periphery of said base plate, including the three corners and two entire sides and at least a major portion of the third side thereof, the bristles of said brush extending above, below and outwardly from the periphery of said plate a distance sufiicient to provide a large brushing area and to provide a buffer for preventing said plate from striking'and damaging the wall surface on which said cleaner head is used, said bore being positioned adjacent the juncture of said two sides and away from said third side, and the undersurface of said base plate being provided with a pair of converging grooves extending from said third side to said bore, and a transverse groove spaced from said bore that intersects said pair of grooves and which extends between said two sides.

6. A vacuum cleaner head as recited in claim 5, wherein said base plate has a pair of spaced ports therethrough, said ports being positioned between said transverse groove and said third side, and outwardly from said pair of grooves.

7. A vacuum cleaner brush as recited in claim 5, wherein said brush includes an elongated core, and wherein the periphery of said plate at said rounded corners is provided with grooves for receiving said elongated brush core.

8. A vacuum cleaner brush as recited in claim 5, including additionally means centrally positioned on the upper surface of said base plate for pivotally attaching the lower end Of a handle thereto.

9. A vacuum cleaner head as recited in claim 1, wherein said bore is positioned near the juncture of two sides of said triangular plate and away from the third side References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,008,160 11/1961 West 15-1.7

FOREIGN PATENTS 707,299 4/ 1931' France. 252,333 10/ 1948 Switzerland.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

thereof, and wherein said intersecting grooves comprise: 20 EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A VACUUM CLEANER HEAD FOR CLEANING SWIMMING POOLS, ESPECIALLY POOLS LINED WITH SHEET PLASTIC OR THE LIKE, COMPRISING: A GENERALLY TRIANGULAR BASE PLATE HAVING A BORE THERETHROUGH, THE UNDERSURFACE OF SAID PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF INTERSECTING GROOVES THEREIN, ARRANGED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE LOWER END OF SAID BORE; MEANS CARRIED BY SAID BASE PLATE FOR CONNECTING A VACUUM HOSE TO THE UPPER END OF SAID BORE; AND A BRUSH SECURED TO SAID BASE PLATE TO EXTEND AROUND AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF THE PERIPHERY THEREOF, SAID BRUSH EXTENDING AROUND THE CORNERS OF SAID PLATE, AND THE BRISTLES OF SAID BRUSH EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID PLATE A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE A LARGE BRUSHING AREA AND TO PROVIDE A BUFFER FOR PREVENTING SAID PLATE FROM STRIKING AND DAMAGING THE WALL SURFACES ON WHICH SAID CLEANER HEAD IS USED. 